State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Rabiner

749 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119961, 2010 WL 4363903
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 4, 2010
Docket10 CV 365(SJ)(RER)
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 749 F. Supp. 2d 94 (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Rabiner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Rabiner, 749 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119961, 2010 WL 4363903 (E.D.N.Y. 2010).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

STERLING JOHNSON, JR., Senior District Judge:

Defendants Eric Hagerbrant (“Hagerbrant”), Imaging Arts Billing Services, Inc. (“Billing Services”), and Imaging *97 Management Services of America, Inc. (“Management Services,” collectively the “Management Company Defendants”), and Metropolitan Radiological Imaging, P.C. (“Metropolitan”) and Herbert Rabiner, M.D. (“Dr. Rabiner”), move, pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“FRCP”) §§ 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) to dismiss this action in its entirety, or in the alternative, to limit this action in accordance with N.Y. Civil Procedure Law & Rules (“NYCPLR”) § 213, which places a six year statute of limitations on actions for fraud, or two years from when the fraud should have been discovered.

BACKGROUND

On January 28, 2010, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (“Plaintiff’) commenced this action seeking to recover more than two million dollars ($2,000,000) that it alleges to have paid Metropolitan since April 4, 2002. Plaintiff asserts causes of action for common law fraud (second claim for relief), unjust enrichment (third claim for relief), and seeks a declaratory judgment stating that Metropolitan has no right to receive no-fault insurance payments from Plaintiff (first claim for relief).

Plaintiffs claims arise out of payments it has made since April 4, 2002 for radiology services allegedly rendered to Plaintiffs insureds for diagnostic purposes pursuant to New York State’s no-fault insurance system (hereinafter “No Fault” or the “No-Fault Laws”). (Compl. ¶ 1). Plaintiff alleges that Metropolitan was ineligible to receive these payments because it was fraudulently incorporated by Hagerbrant through defendants Billing Services, a purported billing services company, and Management Services, a purported management and consulting services company. (Compl. ¶¶ 9-11, 26, 27). Plaintiff alleges that Dr. Rabiner, a physician licensed to practice medicine in the State of New York who purports to own Metropolitan, allowed Hagerbrant to use his license to fraudulently incorporate Metropolitan and transfer its profits to the Management Company Defendants in violation of New York Business Corporation Law. (Id.). Plaintiff alleges that Dr. Rabiner has never had a true ownership interest in Metropolitan, and that at all times, all decision-making authority relating to the operation and management of Metropolitan rested with the Management Company Defendants. (Compl. ¶ 27, 29). Plaintiff further alleges that Dr. Rabiner and Metropolitan entered into a series of management, marketing, and billing agreements with the Management' Company Defendants that allowed Hagerbrant to exercise illegal control over Metropolitan and siphon away the revenues Metropolitan received from No-Fault insurance payments from Plaintiff (and other insurance companies). (Compl. ¶¶ 27, 31-35).

Plaintiff claims that defendants’ furthered their fraudulent scheme by submitting claims for services performed by independent contractors, who are ineligible to receive such payments under the No-Fault Laws. (Compl. ¶ 42). Metropolitan allegedly misrepresented that the - services billed for were performed by its employees on claim forms it submitted to Plaintiff. (Compl. ¶¶ 42-47). Plaintiff argues that the claim forms were therefore fraudulent and designed to mislead Plaintiff. (Compl. ¶¶ 48, 49).

Defendants moved to dismiss the com.plaint pursuant to FRCP §§ 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) on May 10, 2010. In moving to dismiss, defendants argue that 1) the causes of action for a declaratory judgment, fraud, and unjust enrichment were preempted by New York Insurance Law § 5109, which defendants allege statutorily eliminated any private right of action; 2) *98 New York State Insurance Department’s position regarding the eligibility of independent contractors to receive No-Fault benefits is “illogical” and should not be followed; and 3) New York’s Civil Practice Law and Rules § 213 restricts Plaintiffs recovery until January 28, 2004.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

In considering a motion to dismiss a complaint pursuant to FRCP Rule 12(b)(6), for a “failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted,” the Court must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the Plaintiff. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1); Bolt Elec., Inc. v. City of N.Y., 53 F.3d 465, 469 (2d Cir.1995). Dismissal is appropriate only where it appears beyond doubt that a plaintiff can prove ho set of facts in support of her claim that would entitle her to relief. See id. The issue is not whether a plaintiff will ultimately prevail, but whether the claimant is entitled to offer evidence to support her claims. See Villager Pond, Inc. v. Town of Darien, 56 F.3d 375, 378 (2d Cir.1995). A district court must confine its consideration of a motion to dismiss “to facts stated on the face of the complaint, in documents appended to the complaint or incorporated in the complaint by reference, and to matters of which judicial notice may be taken.” Allen v. West-Point-Pepperell, Inc., 945 F.2d 40, 44 (2d Cir.1991).

Conclusory allegations, however, are insufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss. See Manos v. Geissler, 377 F.Supp.2d 422, 425 (S.D.N.Y.2005). Moreover, courts need not accept as true pleadings expressing legal conclusions, speculation and unsubstantiated allegations so broad and conclusory as to be meaningless. Decker v. Massey-Ferguson, Ltd., 681 F.2d 111, 120 (2d Cir.1982); see also Smith v. Local 819 I.B.T. Pension Plan, 291 F.3d 236, 240 (2d Cir.2002) (while the court must construe factual allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, the court is not required to accept plaintiffs legal conclusions).

Similarly, in considering a Rule 12(b)(1) motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, a court must assume that all of the factual allegations in the complaint are true. Shipping Fin. Serv. Corp. v. Drakos, 140 F.3d 129, 131 (2d Cir.1998), at 5 (citing Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974)). Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides for the dismissal of a claim when the federal court “lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1).

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Bluebook (online)
749 F. Supp. 2d 94, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119961, 2010 WL 4363903, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-farm-mutual-automobile-insurance-v-rabiner-nyed-2010.